A 20 year old prostitute in the United States, who resides in Missouri, has been charged with knowingly giving her client the HIV virus. She has been doing this for quite some time, and it may have continued unabated if it weren't for an undercover officer that put an end to this public health hazard.
The prostitute, who goes by the name Antionette Clark, was arrested on June 19 at a Columbia hotel room, after coming into agreement to have sex with the said undercover officer in exchange for cash. Apparently, the officer had responded to an online advertisement as a joint effort between the FBI and the Columbia police to crack down on prostitution in the state.
Initially, Clark was charged with misdemeanor prostitution; however, the charges were upgraded this week to knowingly giving the virus to her clients while providing prostitution services. This is a huge blow for Clark, who could end up spending years in prison if victims come out and choose to file charges.
Clark wasn't the only person arrested on that faithful night. Barry Paul Manthe and Ebonie Tamara Brooks-Lewis were both arrested for promoting prostitution. Furthermore, Chelsey N. Hyde was also arrested on the grounds of providing prostitution services.
HIV symptoms can take years to manifest itself, so sex workers should do regular check-ups to make sure they are not giving clients the disease.
"We definitely recommend you not wait for symptoms to show up," said Andrea Waner, spokeswoman for the health department. "If you're concerned at all, the resources are there in the community for a reason."
Furthermore, it is understood that testing for HIV is free in Columbia, though the results would take up to a few weeks if done anonymously. The other option is not anonymous, which means the results would be ready in around 15 minutes or more.
"I think that overall people living with HIV are responsible and are taking precautions to protect their own health from other issues and also to protect the health of people around them," he said.
The good news is that no minors were found to be a part of the prostitution ring.
